Arsenal join three PL giants in transfer scrap for £70m-rated star

Arsenal have reportedly joined the race to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, offering fresh competition to Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool.

The Dutch international is a man in demand, although it remains to be seen how successful Liverpool would be with a swoop given that the Saints lodged a complaint against them with the Premier League for their approach last month.

According to The Sun, Jurgen Klopp remains in the hunt, although Arsenal have now put their hat in the ring along with Chelsea and City as all of the top sides eye bolstering their backline with the commanding Dutchman.

Van Dijk has established himself as a fundamental player for Southampton since his switch from Celtic in 2015, and ultimately it’s no surprise that the top Premier League clubs are all interested in prising him away this summer.

As noted by The Express in June though, shortly after Liverpool were forced to publicly apologise for their attempts to sign the defender, the Saints value Van Dijk at a staggering £70m and they seem intent on refusing to budge from that price-tag.

That’s a lot of money for a club to spend on a defender, while in Arsenal’s case, it surely makes it even less likely given that they’ve just splashed out on striker Alexandre Lacazette for a club-record transfer fee.

Nevertheless, the Sun believe that they’re keen and it would be a major addition for Arsene Wenger and his side given their defensive frailties in recent times. With Per Mertesacker set to retire next summer, coupled with a lack of depth behind Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, aside from Rob Holding who impressed last season, a big-name signing like Van Dijk would add real steel and presence in the side.